A Hero's Legacy
by The Elemental Angel
Summary: AU, takes place after Season 1. The Team has been disbanded for years, and the Justice League has covered up any traces of them even existing. But when a group of nosy kids find secretive files, they can't help but peek inside. The information they learn will tear apart their old lives and send them spiraling through a world they need to adapt to-before it's too late.
1. The Reunion

**AN:This idea was probably not very original, but I thought it would be fun to write. A few warnings up ahead though:**

 **characters will probably be OOC.**

 **of it will not make sense until a few later chapters. For example, Raquel is named after her mom, (Rocket) whom died in childbirth.**

 **will most likely be grammar mistakes and other different errors.**

 **Disclaimer:Thankyou for crushing my dreams and reminding me that I don't own Young Justice. But I do know that my parents are supposed to 'surprise' me with a Kindle for my birthday.**

 **And without further ado, enjoy!**

Chapter One

Raquel's POV

I never knew my mom, but I wish I had.

My dad says I look a lot like her. I guess I kinda do if I look in old pictures. But I think my personality is more like my dad's, in spite of what others may say. At first glance, we may seem like complete opposites. He's calm and listens to others, I'm energetic and have a rebellious streak. He works hard and is a born leader, but I'm less serious and don't like the attention. But while very few know the truth about his heritage from Atlantis, they all say the same thing. They say he used to be like me, rebellious and adventurous. But the only evidence that he used to be like me is an old story I often hear when we visit Atlantis.

Supposedly, my dad and his best friend, Uncle Garth, were my age when Ocean Master attacked Atlantis. Ocean Master was about to defeat King Orin when my dad and Uncle Garth attacked him. They were defeated, but bought enough time for King Orin to recover and defeat Ocean Master. Uncle Garth stayed in Atlantis and married Aunt Tula, while my dad lived on the surface with King Orin's human identity, Arthur Curry.

No one's bothered to tell me what happened immediately after that, but I just figured it was because nothing out of the ordinary happened. And the most tedious thing to do for a teenager was listen to someone drone on about how your dad went to college and aced a lot of classes. But later on, I would learn that there was probably nothing ordinary at all about my dad's teenage years. But I should have expected as much. After all, we are Atlantean.

It all started on the Fourth of July. Every year, we visit one of my dad's old college friends, and they have this big barbecue with all of his other friends. I would say I'm well-aquainted with most of the kids there, but I rarely see them. Only on certain holidays, like Christmas, or now.

That morning, I was in our hotel room, on my phone. I was texting my best friend, Lian. She's one of the previously mentioned kids, but I know her a lot better. We both travel around the world instead of living in one place, therefore we're both homeschooled. But sometimes my dad and her parents collaborate with each other and go to the same place so we can spend time together. We have a lot of things in common, and I usually spend most of my time with her at every holiday gathering.

"Are you not excited?" my dad asked me, zipping up his traveling bag as I looked to him.

"I guess so. Almost everyone's younger then me, though. This time it's at Jay and Rudy's house, right?" I ask. Jay and Rudy are pretty much the physical embodiment of a sugar-high 24/7. I was just glad that this time they wouldn't be trashing someone else's house.

"Yeah. Someday, those two are going to be the death of Wally and Artemis." He zipped up his coat and motioned for me to do the same, even though it was the middle of summer.

The reason we do this is because of our Atlantean nature. The webbing between my fingers are small enough for now so no one notices, but my dad usually keeps his hands in him pockets. But to hide the gills, we both wear turtleneck coats. Mine is red, while my dad's is blue. It's the downside of being able to breathe underwater.

We walked out of our hotel room and took the elevator to the ground floor. The rest of the day wasn't that bad, but I was sweating everywhere because of my coat. We had breakfast in the lobby before taking a taxi to Aunt Artemis and Uncle Wally's house. My dad and I always come early to help with preperations, and knowing the Wests, there was going to be lots and lots of food.

I should probably warn you: Rudy and Jay are the two most annoying kids in the universe, and I'm sorry, but it just comes with being a couple of years younger then someone else! They are really hyper, and every time I see them, one of my things ends up getting destroyed. You can't leave anything fragile near them. Lian and I learned that the hard way when my phone and her Kindle ended up in the swimming pool one time.

Not to mention their eating habits. They both eat like pigs, and when I say pigs, I don't just mean chewing with their mouths open. It's that, and ten times worse. I'm pretty sure they get it from their dad, which leaves me giving sympathetic looks towards Aunt Artemis.

Now, don't take me for trying to be rude. I'm just stating the facts. But when Rudy and Jay 'eat like pigs,' they dig into their food, take big bites, and I'm pretty sure they don't chew before they swallow. They have their mouths open the whole time, and often use their hands. Lian and I have an ongoing bet on how long it will take them to finish their food tonight for dinner, how many times they'll go back for more, and how little fruits and vegetables they'll have on their plates.

But as disgusting as the Wests can be, their loyalty and caring natura is admirable, especially how they tend to be optomists in the darkest times, like when someone's PHONE ENDS UP IN THE POOL! Rudy has red hair and brown eyes, while Jay has blonde hair and green eyes. The first is twelve and the latter is nine. Jay is more hyper than Rudy, but Rudy is the only one who can controle him. He also loves archery for some reason.

Next we have the Kents. Martha and Al don't have many 'bad' qualities. Martha is supposedly a lot like how her mom, Aunt Megan, used to be when she was her age. She talks a lot, loves cooking, school, visiting relatives and friends, being a cheerleader...pretty much your average girly girl, a living stereotype really.

Al doesn't talk much, and can be pretty shy. He gets stagefright and hates being the center of attention. He can talk to two or three people at a time, but if a large group of people enters the room, he starts to stutter nervously. He has black hair and brown eyes, while Martha has red hair and blue eyes. The first is ten, and the second is twelve. They both love each other a lot, but have heat-sensitivity.

Then there's the Graysons. Zee and John, the spoiled rich kids. But while they're spoiled, they're not snotty and rude, like you'd expect. They don't care about social groups or status, and hang out with whomever they like. John loves computers, and could tell you all about them. The thirteen year-old is quiet, and at first Lian and I thought it was because he's shy too, but then we realized it's because he's observant. He doesn't hate to talk, he just never seems to find a reason to.

Zee is a straight-A student, and is one of the smartest kids in Gotham Academy. She skipped a few grades, and would probably be near Lian and I would be if we weren't homeschooled, even though she's only eleven. While she doesn't show it much, we've also noticed that she has quick reflexes, almost inhuman, unless you've had a lot of practice. The only thing annoying about her is her pranks, if you fall for one of them. Like stated before, Zee is eleven and John is thirteen. They both have blue eyes, but John has red hair and Zee has black hair. They're pretty much teenage detectives that loves mysteries and are big fans of the Sherlock Holmes fandom.

Lastly, Lian. My best friend whom I have a lot to relate with. We both travel a lot, and because of that we are both homeschooled. We're about the same age, and our dad's were best friends too. She knows nearly everything about me, and I could say the same about her.

The only different thing is that I'm Atlantean. While it kills me to lie to her, I know it's for the best. Lian's kinda temperamental and hot-headed, and my dad says she got that from her dad, Uncle Roy. She loves archery, and sometimes compares notes and tips with Rudy. She's fifteen years old and has brown hair and blue eyes.

Then there's me. Raquel Jr. The Atlantian.

I don't really know what to say about myself that I haven't already told you. I'm fourteen, and I guess from someone else's point of view I can be energetic and rebellious in certain situations. I also talk a lot and I'm homeschooled. My dad and I travel a lot, and while we tell everyone it's for his job as an archaeologist, it's actually to run from my grandfather, Black Manta, who is hunting us down across the globe. I've heard that he's a supervillain, and that he only wants my dad and me to make us his sidekicks, partners in crime. I'm named after my mother, whom died giving birth to me. Others may feel sorry for me, but it's kinda hard to mourn for someone you never knew.

Oh, and for some reason, I inherited a strange belt from my mother that I never wore because it looks like it's from the fifties. There's no way I'm wearing that thing, gift from my mother or not.

Something you should know about everyone: most of these kids are named after someone else in one way or another. Rudy is named after his grandfather, and Lian is named after her Aunt, Aunt Artemis. Oh, right, Jay, Rudy and Lian are cousins. Jay's full name is actually Jaden, and his name is an alternate version of Lian's mom's name, Jade. I'm named after my mom, John is named after his grandfather, Martha is named after her great-grandmother. Zee is named after another one of our parent's college friends, Zatanna Zatarra. The original Zatanna apparently died in a car crash at a young age, and she was dating Zee's dad at the time. So yeah, between Lian, Rudy, and Jay being cousins, and poor Al being the only one not named after someone, this friend circle is pretty complicated.

A lot of stuff didn't add up, but no one brought any of the loopholes up. I didn't because the others could get close to discovering my Atlantean background. But if only I had known the others were thinking the exact same thing.

I hope that's enough background information for you to understand how our lives got into this mess, because that's the best I can do. Good luck trying to tag along with us.

 **AN: How was it? Good? Bad? Really really confusing? Don't worry, cuz' it'll get easier along the way. Review for more!**

 **BK195**


	2. The Equipment

**A/N: Finally! Another chapter! Sorry for the long break, I just got really busy with sorting out my schedule since school started...But I should be fine now! Here's the nextdoor chapter, and thanks for the reviews! They are what help me continue this the most, knowing that someone is _still_ waiting for that next chapter. I work best under stress, so please review!**

 **Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. But I do try to respond to anyone that reviews!**

Chapter Two

(Jay's POV)

Ok, ok. So me and Rudy are preparing a _huge_ movie marathon for everyone that's coming to our house, and I am _super_ excited! We have a very specific list of which genre and which movie first, no matter what happens. Well, I guess if someone urgent happens like an earthquake then our schedule is bound to change. Or even something small, like another kidnapping in Palo Alto. My parents freak out about that stuff, and we're not allowed to leave the house without a chaperone. Anyways, tonight is going to be epic! But I can't use my super speed which is a big bummer, who doesn't like super powers!?

Oh yeah, Mom and Dad say that super powers are a curse. I think this is where I'm supposed to say they are, but they make things way more efficient. The only downside is that we have to worry about revealing ourselves. Even the high metabolism is cool, because that just means we get to have more sugar without getting obese! We get to eat more junk food without a care!

Jay, calm down, get back to the subject.

So anyways, there's like this giant party at our house, and everyone is coming, so Rudy and I are trying our best to get everything ready. Mom says we have to clean our room or else we don't get ice cream after dinner. And shoving things under our bed never works, because John and Zee are the ultimate detectives, and they always tell our parents. Rudy and I sleep in a bunk bed, with him on the top because he's older. That morning, he was cleaning out the closet, while I was putting away the toys. There were nerf bullets and arrows everywhere. Rudy loves archery, and using the nerf guns supposedly teach him to aim faster, since there are more bullets and you don't have to reload as much.

After cleaning up we scarfed down breakfast and were just about to set up the patio when Raquel came. She's really nice and fun, but sometimes she gets addicted to her phone and stops paying attention. She's really protective of her stuff, too. One time, Rudy accidently dropped her phone in the pool, and she looked _sooo_ mad. While she walked away to keep herself from yelling at us, Mom gave us the lecture of our lives. I'm not sure if Raquel is over it yet.

The thing is, while she and Lian (that's our cousin) are the most mature and kind, as soon as the other arrives, they walk off and keep to themselves. Dropping Raquel's phone and Lian's Kindle was a dare from John, and we learned never to do it again. From then on, they never let us touch their stuff, and I've noticed that everyone is alert when Rudy or I enter the room. But we just tell ourselves that it's because we bring the party. It does hurt, though.

We may inhale our food in two seconds, but the truth is, we're pretty self conscious about it. Of course we have a tendency to eat any food in sight, but that doesn't mean we have to shove it in our mouths. If we ever _stopped_ to eat like a civil person, everyone would question if something was wrong. People are expecting us to be the optimistic, energetic kids that don't care about all the darkness in the world. If we stop for one moment, well... to everyone else it's just not possible. Except we balance on that line every day, like a ticking bomb waiting to go off. I know that someday it will happen, and that's what I'm scared of. Hurting those around me and losing control.

Alright, enough of the boring sentimental stuff. I can't be thinking of that when remembering the best day of the year.

As soon as Raquel came, Rudy and I rushed to the front door. Our dad was there first (he has super speed too) and he answered the door before us. Raquel was standing in front of her father, Uncle Cal. His name's actually Caleb Durham, but my everyone calls him Cal as a nickname. For some reason, whenever we see them, they wear something usually worn in winter. Last year they were both wearing scarfs. The year before that they had snow boots, and so on. Today they were both wearing turtleneck coats. Raquel had baggy jeans and fingerless gloves. She wore a blue beanie on her head and black leather boots. "Hey Raquel, how have you been? Where did you travel? What took you so long? Do you have pictures? Or souvenirs? Or-" I could tell Rudy was trying hard not to slip into super speed. Luckily, Mom interrupted him first asvI bounced on the balls of my feet..

"Alright guys, back up and let them through. People should start arriving at six o'clock, and we have a lot to do," she said, polite as always. As far as speedsters go, the only things in our dictionaries were talk, eat, run, and talk some more. My mom isn't one though, so she's usually the only formal person in the family. Rudy isn't as bad as me, and Dad was apparently like us before growing up, but they still have a large amount of hyperactivity in their day.

Raquel and her dad came in and looked around. We had some of the decorations up, but most were peeling off of the ceiling and walls. My mom prepares things early, so all of the food was ready. It was just kept in the fridge so we didn't eat it on sight. My dad pulled out a paper and looked over it. "Alright, Cal, your setting up the grill. Arty, you and I are finishing the decorations. Kids, you help bring out chairs and set them around the tables outside. Raquel, you can get some fun games and get things for everyone to do. Jay, Rudy, you guys can help get games for kids, but leave the games for adults to Raquel."

"Aw, fine. But we already have this huge movie thing set up, and we picked all of the movies, and--I should stop talking now." One year we were in charge of getting games for everyone, and the adults had to play Scrabble after I mixed the games up. Hey, I was three! And Rudy didn't correct me because he was five!

"That's great! But make sure you run through them with Raquel first, so she can make sure they're safe," Mom told us, and we all got up to do what we were assigned.

We ordered two pizzas for lunch, and played a couple of games. By the time it was five forty-five, the time had gone by so quickly that I thought it was three. The next ones to arrive were John and Zee, the rich kids. While they try to dress modestly, seeing what's normal to wear in tabloids can be hard when _you're_ trying not to be in them. We usually ask if we can go to the mall for shopping, since we live pretty close by. John and Zee let us borrow their credit cards for the night, and they never run out of money before our free time ends.

Soon everyone came, and everyone was having fun. There was nothing to worry about, and like usual, we went to the mall. We had fun, bought food, pranked stores. Lian even got kicked out of one when the employee literally exploded in her face, causing a big situation. After that the surrounding shops didn't let her in, but she just got large sunglasses, let her hair down, and pretended to be a foreign Vietnamese woman. Except we did, however, have one problem.

Some _old friends_ of our parents supposedly weren't happy with their decisions to 'abandon them.'

 **A/N: Make sure you review and tell me what you liked/didn't like! I was kinda stuck on deciding who to do next, but in the end I decided to do a speedster. I have some sort of plot and conflict in my mind, but I hate writing things down, so I never have any actual plans for stories. Please review, and hopefully help me through constructive criticism!**

 **MusicLyric: Thankyou so much! I got bored of reading those bios too, so I tried to put it in one of the characters' perspective!** **JaggerK: Honestly, I was trying to think of names that didn't start with the same letter, so I just picked a random name from Supergirl and ended up choosing Alex. I'm not sure if Alfred is dead yet, but he might be mentioned ;)**

 **Poksie: Thanks! I'm hoping this one won't just turn out to be one of my ideas that starts out cool in my mind, and then shrivels up in a corner and dies! XD**

 **kidresendiz7: Thanks! I'm struggling to write each chapter and wondering what people will think, and it's reviews like this one that really help me!**

 **JaggerK: Thanks! I was kinda trying to choose names that didn't start with the same letter, so I picked a random name from Supergirl and ended up with Alex. I might change it though! ;)**

 **Please fav/follow/review for more!**

 **BK195**


	3. The Attack

**A/N: Thanks again for all of your support, and I apologise if the first chapters seem slow. I'm trying to get in as much personality and characteristics in each individual, so they don't seem unrealistic. And I definitely had fun butchering Gotham's most famous names. Thanks for reading, and enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Wait, so if I didn't put a disclaimer, someone would actually sue me? Cuz I don't own Young Justice, and you'd be stupid to believe I did.**

Chapter Three

(Martha's POV)

Man, I love visiting the city! Living on a farm isn't pretty, you know. We have to drive a _very_ long way to get to school. I heard some people don't have chores in the evening. They are _soo_ lucky. Al and I come home, do our homework, and go straight to work. We have a lot of things to do.

Alright, where did Jay leave off? The mall, ok. Let's see...

Al and I came right after Zee and John. By then it was around eight, and we played a couple of games, including Twister, Apples to Apples, and Settlers of Catan. Zee dominated us all in Twister, seeing as how her dad was an acrobat, and I guess he taught her all of his skills. John came in second, but he wasn't anywhere near where Zee was. Around the time we finished Apples to Apples, Lian came, and we finally were able to go to the mall. The rules were that we had to have at least two chaperones over fourteen. After asking our parents, we walked there and pulled out the money they gave us.

"So, rules for tonight are the same as always. There are five floors, and eight of us. Every two people get one floor, and every twenty minutes we will rotate, going up a floor. If you're on the the last floor you take the elevator down. We should regroup here at the base of the first escalator in an hour and forty-five minutes. Stay in the group you are assigned, and don't go anywhere without someone else," Lian instructed.

"The groups are, Lian and I, Al and Jay, John and Rudy, and Zee and Martha. Make sure you buy things that are appropriate for your age!" Raquel added. She grabbed a pen and opened it to write who would go where.

"Now, start calling floors, Lian and I will signal when to switch if we see you, and do the same if you see anyone."

Zee and I whispered to each other. "Well we're taking floor one!" I said.

"Floor three, the video games," Rudy answered.

"Aw, we wanted floor three. I guess we'll just take floor two then," Jay said with disappointment.

"Then that means we have floor four, sports. Tell me if I got this right, the older girls have floor four, sports, the younger girls have floor one, clothes, older boys have floor three, video games, younger boys have floor two, board games, and no one has floor five. At least one person in each group has a phone, so we will message you guys when it's time to switch. Make sure you don't put your phone on vibrate!" Lian said. Then she and Raquel walked off towards the escalator. The others did the same, while we went straight into _Justice._

"Oh my gosh, look at this! Isn't this necklace adorbs?"

"Hold on real quick, I gotta go to the bathroom," Zee told me, walking in that direction.

"Do you want someone to go with you?" Lian and Raquel _did_ say not to go alone, and my parents always tell me the same thing.

"Nah, I'm good. You keep searching through the store, surprise me with something!" she called back.

I shouldn't have listened to her. Listening to her always caused trouble. Maybe if I had paid a little more attention, none of this would have happened.

I was searching through the pants section for something easy that I could shift my skin to look like when I heard a clicking sound. I may not have had my brother's hearing, but I still had slightly exceptional ears. This should have been my first clue, but unfortunately, I kept looking at clothes. If it _was_ anything dangerous, who would want to attack _me?_ It was getting hard to breathe, and my reflexes began to slow down.

I coughed twice, trying to think through my muddled brain. I became dizzy without knowing it.

The fog surrounded me and I barely registered the others in the store falling too. When did that get there? I pulled my shirt up to block my mouth and nose. It was getting harder to stand up now, and my eyes could barely stay open. I collapsed on the ground turning my head to the side. Above me stood a man with a gas mask, his hair a vibrant shade of neon green. Faintly I realized that I should have been able to go into camouflage-mode and fly away. But who would try to target me?

Wait, the real reason that I didn't leave was because of Zee. I couldn't leave her behind! Poor Zee...who was rich...and pretty... and lived between two of the most corrupted cities out there...

God, I was such an idiot. Whoever this man was, he wasn't after me, he was after Zee! I somehow stayed awake long enough to see and hear him laughing, dropping a card from his sleeve. Then I passed out, feeling like I failed a friend.

 **A/N: This chapter was orginally _much_ longer, but I decided to split it in two. I kinda hate the end though. The next one might explain things a bit more, and since it's already half-done, I might update much quicker. Thanks for everyone's reviews!**

 **Leo-TheHunter:** **Thanks, that's so sweet!**

 **MusicLyric:** **I'm kind of excited to see what my brain comes up with too. Thanks for the review!**

 **YoDog:** **Thanks, I hope I'll get used to it!**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. The Research

A/N: Ack! I am so sorry! I just started postponing this for so long! Please forgive me! Also, I don't have much of a plot formed in my head, but I do know what I'll put in each chapter. Sorry these are so short, but I usually make these on my phone, soo...

As a response to MusicLyric and IloveRobin1822's request, Here's a list to help!

Supermartian-Al and Martha

Dibs-Zee and John

Torpedo-Raquel Jr.

Redcat-Lian

Spitfire-Rudy and Jay

Disclaimer: Why would I own Young Justice? Why?

Chapter Four

(Rudy's POV)

When I woke up, Raquel was standing above me, next to a worried Jay and a frantic Martha. Jay was noticeably relieved when I opened my eyes, and there were police everywhere investigating. My mind was still fuzzy, and I slowly sat up and winced. My head hurt, and my lungs ached from breathing in that weird fog. I clutched forehead.

"Hey, what do you remember last? What happened? Any idea where John might be? Cuz' the same thing happened to Martha, on the other side of the mall. Zee's gone too, and the police think she was kidnapped," Lian asked, walking over to us.Well, that explains why Martha is as worried as Jay, I thought. Standing up slowly, I pointed towards a corner of the store. Raquel jogged through the police and went in there. I remembered the blond-haired woman standing above me.

"Well, if this was a kidnapping attempt, I think I know who the suspect might be. Uh, blond hair... red suit...She was wearing a gas mask, so I didn't see much...She had this crazy laugh, too..." I groaned and leaned on my brother, who willingly supported me. Raquel came back to us.

"He's not there, but the place was trashed. Game pieces everywhere, shelves knocked down, some games were ripped to pieces...Maybe he escaped? Let's ask someone," she suggested.

I was finally able to stand on my own and we walked to a nearby police officer watching an interview between a detective and a witness. "Excuse me, have you seen our friend? Red hair, blue eyes, male? Thirteen years old?"

He pulled out a picture. "Is this him?"

I gasped. It was a picture of him when he was around nine, probably taken for Gotham North's Picture Day. "Yes, that's him! How did you know?"

He sighs, in a way that says bad news. "We believe he's the victim of a kidnapping, along with his sister. Zatanna and John Grayson, right?"

Martha looks down at the floor guiltily and we walk away, dejected. We went down the escalator and reached the entrance of the store when I turned around, for one last look. Then I saw something on the ground and walked towards it. It was a playing card. I picked it up gingerly and turned it over, my hands shaking. It was a joker, but it wasn't like any other card I'd seen. Instead of a joker, it had the face of a man with cherry lips, and scrawled across the bottom were the words, 'Why so serious?' It creeped me out.

"Rudy!" Jay called out to me, and I turned around, stuffing it in my pocket. I knew that I was contaminating evidence and that I should have given it to the police, but it was one of the only clues we had to find Zee and John, and it was my fault John was gone.

Joining the rest of the group, we left to the front entrance of the mall. The sound of police sirens and ambulances didn't shake me from the shock I was in. The entire time we walked home was spent in complete silence, with Martha and I guiltily staring at the ground, Al and Jay with pitying and worried looks, and Lian and Raquel trying not to focus on what just happened. We reached the doorstep and heard talking and laughter on the inside, which meant they hadn't started the barbecue. They were most likely waiting for us since John loved to start the grill with his dad. But he wouldn't do that this year.

Martha broke the silence. "What are we going to tell their parents?" he asked as Lian looked at him, a brand new idea in her eyes.

"Why don't we search for them?" Everyone stared at her wildly. I raised an eyebrow, but I was still interested in the idea.Wecould find our friends.Wecould stop the bad guys.Wecould find a way to unravel the mystery of our parents' lies.

"It was just a thought. But we are smarter and more talented than we think we are, and they're going to find out anyways from the police. Right?" she tried again. I shifted from one foot to another. This subject was getting a little too close for comfort.

"Well, John and Zee get kidnapped all the time because of their fame. This is probably what happens every Wednesday for them," I said, trying to cut off her idea.

"Actually, I overheard the police talking at the mall, and they don't think this is a normal kidnapping. The gas used to knock you out was supposedly made out of biochemical components and didn't follow the air currents like most gasses do. It had traces of noxious oxide too, but that didn't kick in because the gas was let loose through the vents, and there is always an emergency filter in Forever 16 that takes out anything harmful. But the main component of the gas was the one that knocked you out, and it doesn't do anything but make you sleep, so it was let through.

"The police were saying something about how the last time they saw gas like that, it was a couple of decades ago, when a few major villains worked together to knock out Gotham's vigilante and lead him on a goose chase across the country. John told me the story once. The guy's name was...Shadowman? Birdman? I can't remember, but one of the villains, Poison Oak, I think, decided to kill Shadowman and convinced her partners, Double-Face, Harlequin, Jester, and Penguin to do so. I think Shadowman had a partner, Sparrow, but I can't remember.

"Eventually they killed Shadowman, and Sparrow disappeared. Oh, and there was also a Shadowgirl. Anyways, they said the cameras were destroyed, and the security guard was drugged, so I don't think these were random thugs. They seemed more like professionals," Al explained in a quiet voice, telling us what he heard.

"Exactly! Girl, how are we supposed to defeat professional kidnappers, when we're just kids?!" Raquel exclaimed before we all shushed her for fear of the parents hearing them. When nothing happened, she continued, whispering this time.

"It's impossible!" she told Lian, gesturing with her arms.

"Maybe, but we can't justnottry," Lian stated. "Besides, maybe we can identify the kidnappers. John and Zee are our friends, and we should make some sort of attempt to help them!"

"Yeah, by helping the police. I found this card back there, and I kinda regret not giving it to the police now," I explained, pulling it out as Martha made an audible gasp. "That's contaminating the evidence, right?"

"That looks like the man I saw at the mall, right before I fell unconscious!" she said, and Lian grasped her by the shoulders.

"You saw him?! Why didn't you say something?! What did he look like?!"

"Uh...Green hair...purple tuxedo...and because of Rudy's card, I'm guessing red lipstick. He did have a gas mask on,' she described, clearly racking her brain to remember something. "He was tall and lanky, with polished brown shoes."

"Maybe she's a work partner of the tall guy? The girl I saw, I mean," I said, voicing my thoughts to the group.

"Wait, when did you see someone?" Raquel asked, confused. I mentally facepalmed.

"Right, sorry, you were checking out the corner of the store John was in. I saw someone before passing out too. Blond hair put in pigtails, also wearing a gas mask, wacky red jumpsuit with a jester-like hat. Had white diamonds...Or maybe black...she also had a mad scientist laugh. All-in-all, she seemed like someone who belonged in an asylum," I said, trying to explain the figure I saw. Jay pulled out his phone and showed something to me. He had somehow found an article from the Gotham Gazette at least twenty years old. 'Destruction of Arkham' it read at the top in Big bold letters.

'Recently we received word that Arkham, one of the worst criminal storage facilities here in Gotham, was destroyed in a major breakout. We have no asylum for now but please do not panic. If you see one of the most dangerous villains that face off with Batman, make sure you walk in the other directionveryquickly.Currently, authorities are tracking down criminals as we speak.'

I stopped reading and rolled my eyes at him. He can get caught up in mysteries sometimes. "I think I've got it. I searched for the worst criminals in Gotham, and I found this article. Look!" he said enthusiastically.

"Jay, I didn't mean it literally. The people we saw probably didn't even go to, uh, Arkham Asylum!" I told him, taking the phone and reading the asylum's name off of the article. I punched him lightly in the shoulder. Sometimes he could get carried away with things.

He scoffed and pointed to the screen. "Scroll down, idiot. There's a picture of what I think was your crazy psycho lady. This her?" he asked, making sure to show the picture to the entire group.

"Yeah, that's her. Harley Quinn. Wasn't that one of the villains that killed...er...what was his name? Batman?" I questioned Al, remembering what he had said earlier.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure it was Shadowman, right Al?" Martha asked her brother, correcting me.

"I remember when John told us the story. I still think Batman sounds way cooler. Hewassupposed to be the epitome of fear, and what better than a dark creature of night to pick as a name? Besides, isn't Shadowman taken?" Lian stated as Jay began to scroll through his phone again.

"Ok, so we know it was Harley Quinn, and, uh, it says here this other guy called the Joker. But it also says that they weren't the norm back then. They're not the type of bad guys who would kidnap someone for money, but for attention, so that's possibly why they took John and Zee. I've been looking at other stuff they have on them, and a lot of people say that the Joker is 'Batman's Greatest Foe.' Now that we've done our research, what should we do next?" Jay said, summarizing what we figured out.

"I think we should start at Arkham Asylum."

A/N: Gosh, I am really sorry ittook so long to update. I'm kinda uunhappy with this ending too... I sorta got bored with this idea (which seems to happen a lot to me) and became alittleless obssessed with Young Justice...more than a little...please review, critism is appreciated!

MusicLyric: Heehee...I hope I'm evil enough for another one soon!

IloveRobin1822: Yeah, the guide at the top should help with your question!

 **Soo..Review?**


	5. The History (Part One)

**A/N:** **And hopefully I can get into the habit of updating in a much shorter time period. If I did my math right, then this should be twenty years earlier...I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the next year after 'Auld Acquaintance.' For more info to help with this chapter, season two never happened, since that would mess everything up, and I think Robin would still be Robin? Or at least, he is in this story. Artemis hasn't cut her hair yet, or settled down with Wally, and it's currently still the eight members at the end of season one.**

 **Disclaimer: Me? Own Young Justice? I'm very flattered and all, but I'm afraid I must disappoint you, beloved readers.**

* * *

Chapter Five

(20 years ago)

 _Polished shoes clicked on the sparkling floor as a young man walked through the mansion on the beautiful island. Said household currently hosted a grand party, featuring an open portfolio to reveal a massive amount of sunlight, and several stained glass items to capture and reflect the beautiful view in a dazzling way-perfect for an attack. At least, perfect for them anyway. He strolled through the servants of the house uninvited, and yet they still parted way for him. A few well-placed bribes, some exploited doubts in the one they served...it was carefully planned, anyone could see that._

 _His wrist was lifted to his ear in a smooth motion so as not to draw attention. Loud music was played near the mansion's entrance and could be heard all the way to the backyard of the building._ _He idly wondered whether or not someone's ears would explode if they stood an inch away from the speakers-whether or not that could be arranged. His friends with power could probably make that happen, but...it could simply be used as another backup plan._

 _"This is Timebreaker, immediate team assessment. I'm in position." A man near him held a tray of what he thought was wine, but he was disappointed when he found it to be punch. Just last week he read an article about the wealthy family that lived in this estate. The daughter had been found majorly drunk while partying with friends, and a few secrets that weren't exactly ideal slipped out. They paid the fines_ _that were necessary, but supposedly decided not to take any chances._

 _The reply came a few seconds after his voice, almost worrying him. This next hour had to go perfect. It was barely audible because of the distractions around him, but he knew which words to expect. "This is R.L., and I've found a good advantage point. Look up Timebreaker, two 'o clock," came the smooth voice as he followed her instructions and finally caught sight of her._ _'Timebreaker' finished his glass of punch and handed it to a waiter near him, putting his wrist down after making sure it was connected to the little black comm unit in his ear._

 _The waiter couldn't have been older than sixteen, and he had a mop of ginger hair on his head that contrasted his vivid green eyes. He seemed much too young to be there, but the handsome man decided it was nothing._ _His own grey eyes sparkled as he realized the kid was staring, and he probably saw him talking to his watch._ _Most kids had seen quite a few spy movies in those days, and there was no doubt that he figured it out._ _He looked smart enough to do so. The man fished out ten dollars from his pocket and shoved it in his hand as they walked past each other, slightly bumping shoulders. The kid's eyes widened, and the man knew that bribing a child was low, even for him. But hopefully the boy understood._

 _Five dollars for silence, and five dollars for a favor in what he was planning._

 _The next voice came from the comm in the man's ear, and he didn't have to strain to hear anymore. A pretty young girl in a dress turned and bumped into him, spilling her drink over his suit. She hurriedly apologized, but the man said it was nothing and walked away. Besides, he had better things to focus on than some little klutz._ _The next voice came from the comm in the man's ear, and he didn't have to strain to hear anymore. "This is Dark Angel, I'm below the entry point in the east Quadrant. Getting ready to shift now..."_

 _But he could have sworn that girl placed something on his wrist...Gah, he was just being paranoid. There was no way that girl could have done something, but just in case, he memorized her features for the future. Long blonde hair, startling grey eyes, thick lips, slightly tanned skin...surely she wasn't a spy or anything right? Because if she was, then they would have to cancel, and he spent a_ long _time planning this._ _In the center of the room, people danced with friends and stepped to the beat of the song. The man caught glimpses of scarlet hair, light reflected off of someone's sunglasses, high-heeled shoes...One look and he decided that he didn't need to join that mess. Walking backwards, he turned around and strolled back the way he came, doing a perimeter check. Now all his team had to do was wait...wait for the speech, wait for the people, wait for his friends to report in...It bothered him, how much his plans relied on waiting and spoiling precious time, time to do other things. There were very little back-up plans if anything went wrong, and even less reinforcements if there was a bit of resistance from people trying to play_ hero...

 _Unbeknownst to him, someone was tracking his movements as he walked. They were expecting him to be a simple thief, robbing everyone of their wallets. It_ would _explain why he was walking back and forth in a straight line...and if not for the watch, that's what they would have assumed. But the archer had placed the tracker on the watch, which was actually a_ very _complex system with a comm unit in it. Very suspicious, and definitely reason to worry. "Uh...this is Robin and we seem to have a complication. Nothing we can't handle, but this is probably a bit worse than we originally thought."_

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry about how short and late this was, but I finally found out how to make a line break! Once again, thank you for the reviews, favorites, follows, etc...I haven't given up on getting into a regular updating schedule, but you probably should. Don't expect me to in the near future, you will probably be disappointed...But remember, criticism is accepted, and if you don't mention a problem now, it will never get fixed! Reviews are what keep people writing, especially the ones that help them fix their mistakes!**

 **MusicLyric: Thanks! But like I said before, you should probably forget me updating soon...hehe...**

 **This is probably getting annoying to you, but please review, rate, follow, fav, anything to tell me you liked or hated it! Oh, and sorry this whole chapter was just a flashback, and it's really only part one of the flashback...**


End file.
